"I guess it's a big deal that we didn't win a national championship and everything. I'm actually more disappointed probably that I didn't get to go see it in person, because I couldn't afford it."

Others who either couldn't afford tickets or had more important things to do -- such as attend class, perhaps -- at least were able to take advantage of the Division of Student Affairs-sponsored event.

Six jumbo projection screens took up more than half of the court, and fans filled most of the first two levels of seating in the 84-year-old arena.

The crowd was enthusiastic through the first half, grew pensive when Oregon went into the fourth quarter trailing by eight, then had the old building shaking, literally, when the Ducks tied the score with under three minutes to play.

"A disappointing loss, a disappointing way to end the season," said Taylor Haag, a senior economics major from Portland. "I'd say the line kind of got pushed around a little bit."

Auburn's final drive covered 73 yards in seven plays and was keyed by a 37-yard run by Dyer, who avoided going down while breaking a tackle that would have held him to about a 10-yard gain.

"That was a heart-breaker. I don't know what else to say," Callaghan said, "Some of the plays Chip Kelly called were amazing. It was the most entertaining game I've seen in a long time."